Vaguely on topic and hopefully helpful to someone who has to run a bag search policy:

I worked in retail in UK in the 1990s. We had a bag of snooker (like billiards) balls by the exit for when staff left. You had to pull a ball out before leaving, and depending on the colour you got, depended on whether you got searched at all, and how rigorously (pocket/bag/both)

Benefits:
– everyone knew the system was random, and that they could get caught if they were to steal. There was no way to control which ball you were going to pull out.
– if management really wanted to search someone based on a tip, they could rig the bag so everyone was more likely/certain to get fully searched.
– management didn’t have to search everyone to be seen to be fair, meaning we could all go home earlier.

That was my thought too, Liz.

Same thing with eating outside – I can think of a lot of pharmacies where there is nowhere to eat outside.

I was once written up for an email a co-worker sent me. She was complaining that the lead was picking on her and sent to me and another co-worker. We both immediately knew to delete from outlook and delete from the delete folder, and went to speak in person but another co-worker showed the lead the email and we were all hauled in and written up. They said we received the emails for a reason. The lead was just thin skinned and this was an overall bad environment.

File this one away in the stupid management bin. Not only did they waste a lot of the company’s time over a small matter, I’ll bet they’ll be training new people at this location as soon as the interrogated employees can find new jobs.

Part of the reasoning for department stores requiring employees to carry a clear purse is for loss prevention. Internal shortage did happen at the store I worked at and it was one department that had most of the internal theft – makeup and cosmetics. Most items in that area are small enough to conceal in your hand or a pocket. That’s also the single most concentrated area of high value merchandise and most of it has to be rung up in that area for that reason.

Retail theft is a big problem in the US. It’s my experience that much of common Loss Prevention practice doesn’t work. Racial profiling is very common and can backfire badly. The most effective shoplifter, in my experience, is a woman or group of women with children and strollers, usually white and look like they are middle class. The children can cause a mess to distract the store employees while the moms stuff clothing and other loot in the strollers. That was the reason that the children’s department at the store I worked at had the highest shortage rate of any department.

Me too!